Forager Flatbread

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This many-cheese flatbread is quick to put together with lots of customization options. It is kind of a brown meal, but, it is so so good. There’s a butter + parmesan + garlic spread, mozzarella, ricotta, mushrooms and honey drizzle. The earthy mushrooms and honey are such a great combo. Mushrooms not your jam? Italian sausage and honey would be a great combo too for a sweet and savory mix!

The Three Bite Rule - Forager Flatbread

Forager Flatbread
Ingredients: (for 2)
1 pint mushrooms
2 flatbreads (I used naan)
2 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon parmesan
1 teaspoon cream or half & half
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
2 tablespoons ricotta
1/4 cup fresh mozzarella balls
1-2 teaspoons honey
pinch of oregano

The Three Bite Rule - Forager Flatbread

Directions:
Pan fry the mushrooms in some butter and olive oil to get them a bit caramelized around the edges.
Preheat the oven to 400-degrees.
Mix together the butter, parmesan and minced garlic then stir in just a drizzle of cream, adding more if needed.
Assemble the flatbreads by spreading the butter/garlic sauce onto the naan and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Top with shredded mozzarella, dots of ricotta, some mozzarella balls, and mushrooms.

The Three Bite Rule - Forager Flatbread

Cook for 5-10 minutes (10 will be crispy edges, 5 will be warm and soft).

The Three Bite Rule - Forager Flatbread

Drizzle with honey and sprinkle on some oregano.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Forager Flatbread

I looooved this. It is quite a brown meal and I almost added arugula. The mix of cheeses and the mushrooms with sweet honey is delightful. I’m the only mushroom eater at home so these were lunch and I was very happy. It reheats fine (top with honey just before serving), but is definitely best fresh.

November 2022 Recap

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November was a bit of a blur. It wasn’t a busy month in the kitchen. One week was a doozy and we just needed some space, time, and grace with ourselves. We said goodbye to our beloved dog and it was hard. Thus, here we are.

My blog turned 12! Wow. It is a tween! I like to set some new goals/intentions and decide my fav kitchen moments from the past year.

Cheers! I made a pear & cucumber cocktail that was delightfully crisp and with just a touch of fall.

The Three Bite Rule - Pear & Cucumber Cocktail

This spinach strata was so good for breakfast and lunch.

The Three Bite Rule - Spinach Strata

December is coming right up- wow. The Christmas season for us is really fun so I’m trying to soak it all up and love the parts were in. It is very much time to switch gears in my brain. Bring on the hot chocolate and we’ll see what cooking looks like this month. I’m guessing we’ll host Christmas Eve for appetizers (partly because we like those, and partly because kids don’t have to sit as long).

The little girl:
She totally gets cold so I’m curious how much she’ll love winter this year. I love how how much wonder she has for all the Halloween candy – even opening a tootsie roll has her astounded for what comes out. She loves playing hot or cold for where she is in relation to something. Both kids ate so well at a restaurant for breakfast and it was her first time! She and I are going to see a Nutcracker performance and I cannot wait.

The big guy:
He is very into drawing and coloring right now. I love it. He likes coloring pages we print that are very ‘of the moment’ for a character or theme we’ve just read/watched/etc. The games the two of them come up with very much amuse me – there was something with sliding figurines and hitting them away like hockey that happened the other night and seemed mutually agreed upon. Soccer wrapped up and we love the flexibility and unscheduled weekends.

Goals:
Year of workwear! I got a sweater-ish/tunic-ish/mock-turtle top in a dark cranberry color
Salads or side-dishes: I made a cold buffalo chicken pasta salad with shredded chicken this time, for a very pack-able lunch.
prep ahead bfasts or lunches for weekdays: The strata!
Monthly dates: We had Mexican at El Centro
Declutter/cleaning: I have a big drop of donations to make – let’s see if it rides around with me in Nov or hitting Dec. Both kids went through their art and were done with a good chunk of it.
Workouts as a routine: I’m a bit more routinely doing some dance & weight workouts.
What I’m reading: I read Why Didn’t You Tell Me which was an interesting look at identity/race/lineage/birth order/gender. Bookclub did a YA this time with You Should See Me in a Crown which was so cute and fresh – esp for those of us very far from highschool. I read Killers of a Certain Age which was Italian Job meets Golden Girls and was very fun, not the best ever but amusing.

Spinach Strata

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This spinach strata has a shortcut to pack a flavor punch – creamed spinach gives this so much a salty creaminess and keeps the ingredient list quite short. I made it as I would a bread pudding so while strata means layers, mine didn’t have to soak as long and came together so quickly. 

The Three Bite Rule - Spinach Strata

It poofs up like a souffle and then settles a bit. It is less eggy than a lot of breakfasts which was nice for variety. I loved it reheated too. I intended it to be a ready-made, savory breakfast but I needed a handheld one for en route to the bus stop. This became lunch and I was not mad about it. I microwaved on low (try a defrost or reheat setting) and thank me later. 

Spinach Strata
Ingredients: (for ~6 servings)
1 loaf bread (Italian or focaccia or sourdough)
1 package creamed spinach
3-4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
salt & pepper
1-2 cups fresh greens (I used baby arugula)
1/2-3/4 cup shredded cheese
3 tablespoons parmesan 

Directions: 
Slice and cube the bread – let it sit out for a few hours to get stale. 
Warm the creamed spinach according to the package. Then stir and cool. 

The Three Bite Rule - Spinach Strata

Mix up the eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper – go gentle on the salt since the creamed spinach will likely provide enough salt. 
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and spray a 9×9 baking dish. 
Gently mix together the bread cubes, creamed spinach, egg mixture, and fresh greens. Ensure it is all evenly coated. 

The Three Bite Rule - Spinach Strata

Spoon half into the baking dish, add a sprinkle of each cheese, top with remaining bread mix and finish with the remaining cheeses. 

The Three Bite Rule - Spinach Strata

Bake ~40 minutes. 
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Spinach Strata

Let me declare my love for creamed spinach as an ingredient as we never eat it as a side- I love it mixed into pasta to be a sauce, or in a calzone for some cheesiness, or into the ricotta mixture for stuffed shells or lasagna. Also, since it lives in the freezer, that makes it very handy. The salt content is up there, but that is usually based on 2-3 servings and I often use it as ~6 servings. 

12th Blogaversary

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This hobby continues to hold a spot in my heart and I’m grateful for this outlet. Thanks for following along and telling me what you’ve made! On this occasion each year, I award some superlatives and set out some goals for the year to come.

Most photogenic: Salmon Cakes over Lemon Risotto

The Three Bite Rule - Salmon Cake & Lemon Risotto

Most Likely to Succeed: Bacon Parmesan Burger

The Three Bite Rule - Birthday Burger with Bacon Jam & Parmesan Peppercorn

Most Likely to be Repeated: Savory Loaded Waffle

The Three Bite Rule - Savory Waffle

Most liked on Insta: Strawberry Basil Lemonade Cocktail

Strawberry Lemonade & Basil Cocktail - The Three Bite Rule

So, how’d the goals go:
Year of nail polish! Choosing some new ones inspired me to dump a few I’ve had since college cough:pre-2006:cough.
More international food: went ok, it’s a good area to expand
More soups/salads: I don’t recall many new soups – I should stay on that
More apps: Apps for dinner is such a fun way to make a special and beloved dinner
More fun drinks: I went pretty hard on tea and made more cocktails!
Updating photos: I did a few and will keep this on my radar.
What I’m reading: I read 42 books this year!

What’s ahead:
Year of the _____: it’s going to be workwear! My new job is dressier and I’m in the office 3x a week so I know I need to update and cycle out some old things I don’t love.
Salads or side-dishes
prep ahead bfasts or lunches for weekdays
Monthly dates
Back to some routine of workouts

October 2022 Recap

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October is such a fun month of really enjoying the fall. We had soccer games, apple picking, a long weekend, a trip away, and school parties.

We’ve eaten about 1,000 apples and in all forms – starting with this caramel apple dip that was definitely a highlight. I thought for sure our cheese-loving little girl would be all about it but it was the little boy who ate the most and asked to make it again when it was gone!

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cheeseball

I went sweet just for a second at breakfast time for baked apple oatmeal. This format is great for texture if you don’t love the softness of instant or stovetop oatmeal.

Baked Apple Oatmeal - The Three Bite Rule

Lastly I did some egg roll bowls that were fun. They have a bed of sticky white rice, then a ground pork mixture and a cooked cabbage mixture and topped off with crispy wontons and duck sauce. So fun and faster than takeout!

The Three Bite Rule - Eggroll Bowl

November should have fewer commitments. I welcome the wrap up of soccer to give more free time. My volunteer role expanded the region so it’s taken a bit more time.

The Little Girl:
She loved us all getting to go to her school for a family night. We met a friend of hers and she felt like it was just like big brother’s open house. She’s gotten into scrambled eggs with cheese and back on the quesadilla train. Thank goodness – those are two fast lunches or dinners we tend to have ingredients for! She’s being Elsa for Halloween.

The Big Guy:
School and aftercare and soccer are going well and October meant the start of homework…in second grade! His teacher really prepped them well and it has gone really smoothly. We got a sweet note from the PE teacher about good work in class so that made our day. He loved a playground tour extravaganza they had when I was away. October was also the book fair which is a very special time. He’s being a scary dragon for Halloween.

Goals:
Year of nail polish! I got GOLD and that wraps it up!
More international food inspiration: egg roll bowl!
More soups/salads: we had salad bar, shocking.
More apps: After apple picking we had apps for dinner with the caramel apple cheeseball, deviled eggs, and ranch chicken bites.
More fun drinks: I’m back to nightly hot tea time, and have a cinnamon apple tea
Updating photos: nope
What I’m reading: I read The Rose Code which was so so good and long. Then I read This Time Tomorrow which was better than the description. I just finished The Hotel Nantucket and miss it already.
What I’m watching: Amazing race
What I’m listening to: no new ones to binge